Buffing platform



une 37- c. H. TOMLINSON 2,081,964

BUFFING PLATFORM Filed Dec, 16, 1955 s sheets-sheet 1 I N V EN TOR. 6J7. Zbnzlz'nwozv,

ATTORNIEY.

June l, 1937.

C. H. TOMLINSON BUFFING PLATFORM Filed Dec. 16, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. GCIiTanaZc'wow,

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED sTArEs i A'i'ENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to buffing platforms arranged to be used between the ends of coupled vehicles. One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide a'platform of this type which may be carried by the end of a vehicle and cooperate with a similar platform carried by the adjacent vehicle, the two platforms together constituting a unit which cooperates with the trucks and coupler of the vehicles so as to maintain the vehicles in alignment when a train of such vehicles travels on the highway.

Another object of the invention is to provide a platform of this type which will minimize the air resistance of this portion of the train.

Another object of this invention is to so design and construct the buffing platform and the cooperating portions of the railway cars that the two cooperating platforms on the adjacent cars swing as a unit relative to the cars.

The platform constituting an embodiment of the present invention may be employed on any type of Vehicle such as railroad cars, or trains of coupled vehicles, whether self propelled. or not, which travel on the highway. It has" particular usefulness on the type of railroad car which is equipped with rubber tired wheels and is adapted for travel on a railroad as well as on the highway.

When two or more such vehicles are coupled for travel on the highway, the problem arises of minimizing lateral movement of one car or vehicle relative the other and generally of maintaining such vehicles in alignment. One object 'of the present invention, therefore, is to meet this problem and generally to provide a structure which maintains such coupled cars in alignment. In the present invention the buffing platform has a concave face cooperating with the convex end of the car body, and it further cooperates with the car coupler, with the result that when the assembly is completed a structure is obtained which, although flexible in that it does not interfere with the articulation of the cars when rounding a curve, the structure, nevertheless, maintains the cars in alignment when they follow a straight course.

For a clear and detailed understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention; it being understood, however, that the specific form of the invention disclosed therein is not to serve as a limitation upon the scope of the invention and many variations thereof embodying the invention as defined in the appended claims will be apparent 55 to persons skilled in the art.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an end view of the railway car having the buffing platform mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View of the end of the car and of the buffing platform taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is another horizontal sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic showing of two car ends and their platforms rounding a curve.

A platform constituting an embodiment of the present invention is more particularly designed to cooperate with a type of car body having a substantially semicircular end and in which the wheel truck supports the car body at substantially the center of the semicircular end. The buffing platform of the present invention is found more particularly designed to cooperate with a type of railway car in which the car couplers are mounted and carried by the trucks, although it may be carried by the car body.

The semicircular end of the car body and the platform are so designed and constructed that the platform is suspended and supported by the car body, the supporting means being of such a nature as to permit the free swinging of the platform relative to the body about the center of the semicircular end of the body. The platform is provided with downwardly depending arms which engage the lateral faces of the car couplers.

In the type of car for which the present embodiment of the invention is designed the car coupler is of the type which although mounted and carried by the truck, it nevertheless has a slight freedom of movement relative to the truck.

These couplers have a limited free movement laterally, vertically, longitudinally, and also have a limited twisting movement. The downwardly depending arms engaging the lateral faces of the couplers are therefore so designed that they do not interfere with the necessary movement of the coupler relative to the truck.

Referring now more specifically to the detailed showings in the drawings, the semicircular end wall of the car body is indicated by the reference character 10. This end wall is provided with a door l I and may, if desired, also be provided with the windows I2. The truck is shown in a general way at l3 and pivotally supports the car body at l4 which is substantially the center of the semicircular end of the car body. The truck I3 carries the car coupler l5 which is of the type having the limited vertical, lateral, longitudinal, and twisting movements.

The semicircular end of the car body is provided with a recess 55 at the top thereof and a similar recess ll at the bottom. The recess I6 is formed by the arcuate angle iron is which is disposed immediately below the roof is of the car. The recess ii" is formed by the arcuate channeled iron 26 which is disposed between the plates 2| and 22 of the floor construction of the car. An arcuate guide rail 23 is supported within the recess 16 and a similar guide rail 24 is supported within the recess i'i.

Referring now more particularly to the construction of the bufiing platform, the same will be seen to consist of two parts. One of these: parts is embr ced by the two parallel rectangular metal frames 25 and 25. A bellows-like webbing 21 is carried by these frames and form the side walls and roof of this portion of the platform. Bolts 28 surrounded by compression springs 29 are variously disposed between the frames 25 and 26.

The other part of the platform is designed to fill in the space between the inner frame 25 and the semi-circular end of the car body. This second portion therefore comprises side walls 333 which are preferably made integral with or affixed to the inner frame 25. These side walls are preferably disposed in the same plane with the side walls of the car body. The inner vertical edges of the side walls carry sealing strips 3|, preferably of relatively soft and resilient materials such as rubber, felt, or the like. The inner faces of the side walls 3d carry brackets 32 which support the bolts 33 and the compression springs 34, the latter being disposed between the brackets and the washers 35 and serving to compress the sealing strips 3! into yielding engagement with the semicircular wall i G of the car body.

The platform also carries the roof 36 which covers the space between the frame 25 and the end of the car body. The roof is carried by the side walls and the frame 25, and has an arcuate inner edge. An arcuate channel 37, having a cross section of an inverted U is carried by the roof 35; and horizontal rollers or grooved wheels 38 are carried by the channel 3?. A similar construction is carried by the lower bar of the frame 25 and also comprises a plate 3% similar to roof 35 and the arcuate channel at and wheels M.

The platform structure thus far described is preferably assembled as a unit and is suspended as an independent unit upon the end of the car body merely by the proper engagement of the wheels 38 and ll with the guide rails 23 and 24 respectively. When the platform in this condition is suspended from the car certain additional structural elements are installed to complete the installation. A plate 2 is slid under the roof i 9 and is afiixed to the ceiling of the car by screws or bolts as shown in Fig. 2. This serves to protect the recess it against the weather. Plates :33 and as are fixedly attached to the frame 26 as shown, these plates being free to move with the frame 25 relative to frame 25; the plate 43 having been previously provided with the downwardly depending pair of arms 45 which are so disposed as to engage the lateral faces of the coupler I 5 without interfering with its freedom of movement. An additional plate 46 is carried by the plate which overlaps the upper flooring of the car so as to bridge the gap between the plate i l and this upper flooring.

It will now be understood that each car end carries a platform as described and shown, so

that when two cars are coupled these platforms 5!] abut and a closed passage is formed between the two cars. As the train rounds a curve, the engagement of each platform with its corresponding coupler head through the arms 45 will cause the two platforms to move as a unit as is well illustrated in Fig. 5.

While the platform constituting an embodiment of the present invention may be employed on any type of railroad car, it has particular usefulness on the type of railroad car which is equipped with rubber tired wheels and is adapted for travel on a railroad as well as on the high way. When two or more such vehicles are coupled for travel on the highway, the problem arises of minimizing lateral movement of one car or vehicle relative to the other and generally of maintaining such vehicles in alignment. One object of the present invention, therefore, is to meet this problem and generally to provide a structure which maintains such coupled cars in alignment. In the present invention the buffing platform has a concave face cooperating with the convex end of the car body, and it further cooperates with the car coupler and the truck, with the result that when the assembly is completed a structure is obtained which, although flexible in that it does not interfere with the articulation of the cars when rounding a curve, the structure nevertheless maintains the cars in alignment when they follow a straight course.

I claim:

1. In combination a car body having a substantially semicircular end, a truck pivotally supporting said car body at substantially the center of said end, a car coupler mounted pivotally relative to said car body and movable with the truck and having a limited movement relative to the truck and a bufiing platform carried by said car body, means on said car body and cooperating with complemental means on said platform for supporting said platform and for permitting the arcuate movement of said platform about the end of the car body, and a pair of arms depending downwardly from said platform and engaging the lateral faces of said couplers.

2. In combination a car body having a substantially semicircular end, a truck pivotally supporting said car body substantially the center of said end, a car coupler carried by said truck and having a limited movement relative to the truck and a bufiing platform carried by said car body, means on said car body and cooperating with complemental on said platform for supporting said platform and for permitting the arcuate movement of said platform about the end of the car body, and a pair of arms depending downwardly from said platform and engaging the lateral faces of said couplers.

3. In combination a car body having a substantially semicircular end, a truck pivotally supporting said car body at substantially the center of said end, a rigid tight lock car coupler carried by said truck and a bufiing platform carried by said car body, said platform comprising a pair of side walls disposed substantially in the plane of the side walls of the car, the car body and platform carrying cooperating complemental means for suspending said platform on the car body, whereby said platform may move relative to the car body, and a pair of arms depending downwardly from said platform and engaging the lateral faces of said coupler, thereby causing said platform to move as a unit with the coupler relative to the car body.

4. In combination a car body having a substantially semicircular end, a truck pivotally supporting said car body, a car coupler carried by said truck and a buffing platform carried by said car body, said platform comprising a pair of parallel substantially rectangular frames, flexible side walls and roof for the space between said frames, compression springs disposed between said frames, a pair of side walls carried by the inner of said frames, said side walls being disposed substantially in the plane of the side walls of the car, a sealing strip of soft material carried by the inner vertical edge of each side wall, springs carried by said side wall pressing said strips yieldingly against the car body, the car body and platform carrying inter-engaging complemental means for suspending said platform on the car body, whereby said platform may move relative to the car body, and a pair of fingers depending downwardly from said platform and engaging the lateral faces of said coupler.

5. In combination a pair of cars placed end to end, each car having a substantially semicircular car body end, a truck for each end, said trucks and car bodies being designed and constructed so that each body is pivotally supported by its truck, a pair of cooperating car couplers movable with the trucks and relative to the car bodies and having a limited movement relative to the trucks, and a pair of cooperating bufling platforms carried by said car ends, each of said platforms having a pair of downwardly depending arms engaging the lateral faces of the coupler thereby causing said platforms to move with the coupler relative to the car body, and cooperating means carried by said car bodies and said platforms for carrying and supporting said platforms on said car bodies and permitting movement of said pair of platforms as a unit relative to said car bodies, said platforms having side Walls and roofs and forming an enclosed passage between the cars.

6. In combination, a pair of cars placed end to end, each car having a substantially semicircular car body end, a truck for each end, said trucks and car bodies being designed and constructed so that each body is pivotally supported by its truck at substantially the center of its semicircular end, a pair of cooperating car couplers movable with the trucks to guide the same on the highway, and a pair of cooperating buffing platforms carried by said car ends, each of said platforms having a pair of downwardly depending arms engaging the lateral faces of the coupler thereby causing said platforms to move with the coupler relative to the car body, and cooperating means carried by said car bodies and said platforms for carrying and supporting said platforms on said car bodies and permitting movement of said pair ofplatforms as a unit relative to said car bodies.

'7. In combination a pair of cars placed end to end, each car having a substantially semicircular car body end, a truck for each end, said trucks and car bodies being designed and constructed so that each body is pivotally supported by its truck at substantially the center of its semicircular end, a pair of cooperating car couplers having a limited free movement relative to the trucks to guide the trucks on the highway, and a pair of cooperating buffing platforms carried by said car ends, each of said platforms having a pair of downwardly depending arms engaging the lateral faces of the coupler thereby causing said platforms to move with the coupler relative to the car body, and cooperating means carried by said car bodies and said platforms for carrying and supporting said platforms on said car bodies and permitting movement of said pair of platforms as a unit relative to said car bodies, and means carried by said platforms sealing the space between the cars against the exterior.

8. In combination 'a pair of cars placed end to end, each car having a substantially semicircular car body end, a truck for each end, said trucks and car bodies being designed and constructed so that each body is pivotally supported by its truck at substantially the center of its semicircular end, a pair of cooperating car couplers carrier by said trucks and having a limited movement relative to the trucks to guide the trucks on the highway, and a pair of cooperating buffing platforms carried by said car ends, each of said platforms having a pair of downwardly i depending arms engaging the lateral faces of the coupler thereby'causing said platforms to move with the coupler relative to the car body, and cooperating means carried by said car bodies and said platforms for carrying and supporting said platforms on said car bodies and permitting movement of said pair of platforms as a unit relative to said car bodies, and means carried by said platforms sealing the space between the cars against the exterior.

9. In combination two vehicles coupled end to end, each of said vehicles having a wheel truck under the coupled end thereof and cooperating couplers, and a platform disposed between the ends of said vehicles forming a passage therebetween, and interengaging means between said platform, couplers and trucks to convert the same into a unit movable together and relatively to the vehicle body to guide the vehicles when rounding curves on a highway and to maintain said vehicles in alignment while traveling on a straight highway.

CHARLES H. TOMLINSON. 

